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Rangers rout Capitals to cruise into second round

New York Rangers forwards Rick Nash (left) and Mats Zuccarello celebrate a goal against the Washington Capitals during Game 7 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series in Washington, May 13, 2013. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

Some might even call it a choke job, but that would be a disservice to the New York Rangers, who overcame a 2-0 series deficit and put the finishing touches on the Capitals in a 5-0 beatdown on Monday night at Verizon Center.

Capitals defenceman Karl Alzner showed remarkable honesty when asked if a series loss like this one leads to questions about whether the group can get over the hump.

"It's funny you ask that. A little bit," Alzner confessed. "I'm sure it's not the right mentality. But we all play this game to win and when you see one year after another year disappointments — and I know it's only been three playoffs for me – still from the guys that have played the game, Mike Knuble would tell us that you blink and the next thing you know you're in last couple of years and you haven't made it to the finals even.

"You don't want to see the time tick away. You want to at least get a taste of it before you're done. So I hopefully have a long time. But, yeah, I've thought about it."

And while you can't question the heart or the commitment of Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, who played the role of a human wrecking ball in the deciding game, you can't ignore the fact he was held without a point during the final five games of the series.

That simply cannot happen to a Hart Trophy front-runner who carried his team during the stretch run, averaging a goal per game over the final 23 games of the regular season to ensure the Capitals captured the Southeast Division crown.

Ovechkin's effort wasn't lacking, merely his finish.

That said, he's managed only two goals and four points in Game 7s during his NHL career.

Not surprisingly, the Capitals are 2-5 in Game 7s during Ovechkin's time with the franchise.

"It's very frustrating. That's the whole point, you're here to win the games and try to win the Cup," said Ovechkin. "Nobody is yelling at each other here. Nobody was pointing a figure that it was somebody's fault we lose the game. It's everybody's fault. It's not about one person or two people, it's about the team."

After holding court in English, Ovechkin apparently vented his frustration to Russian journalist Slava Malamud, according to his Twitter account.

"Not saying there was a phone call, but they wanted Game 7. For ratings. You know, lockout, escrow, league must make profit," Ovechkin apparently said.

Don't think that's going to go over well at NHL headquarters, as you can expect Ovechkin's wallet to be a little lighter.

Imagine a world where Arron Asham, a fourth-line enforcer from Portage la Prairie, Man., finishes a playoff series with more goals than Ovechkin.

"He's one of the best players in the world and I'm just a fourth line plug," said Asham, whose first-period goal stood up as the game-winner. "It's definitely nice."

The Rangers advance to face the Boston Bruins in the second round in another Original Six showdown that starts on Thursday night.

Ovechkin wasn't alone when it came to offensive struggles, as the Capitals managed only 12 goals in seven games and were blanked by Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist in Games 6 and 7.

While the Capitals were the higher seed, to call this a big upset would be foolish, as the two teams were separated by one point during the regular season.

Don't look now, but the Rangers are starting to resemble the team that advanced to the Eastern Conference final last spring.

Once the Capitals take some time to breathe, they'll be able to take some minor consolation from the fact they put a 2-8-1 start behind them and took great strides under first-year head coach Adam Oates.

And while it's hard to pin the sins of their predecessors on this group of Capitals, the only thing that matters is that there have been far too many early exits and not enough playoff wins when it matters most.

That's why this franchise is going to be questioned until they finally win the big one.